EFL League One Hub

At the end of the 46-game season, three teams are promoted to the Championship, and four teams are relegated to League Two. The top two teams in the table earn automatic promotion. The teams finishing in third, fourth, fifth, and sixth place enter the playoffs to battle for the third and final promotion spot. The bottom four teams are automatically relegated.

The playoffs are a knockout tournament between the teams finishing 3rd to 6th. The team finishing 3rd plays the team finishing 6th, and 4th plays 5th, across two legs (home and away). The winners of those semi-finals meet in a single-match final at Wembley Stadium. It’s widely considered one of the highest-pressure matches in domestic football, as the winner secures promotion to the Championship.

SCMP stands for Salary Cost Management Protocol. It is the financial fair play system used in League One (and League Two). In League One, clubs are restricted to spending a maximum of 60% of their turnover on player wages. This is designed to keep clubs financially sustainable and prevent them from overspending to chase promotion.

There are 24 teams in League One, meaning each club plays 46 league fixtures in a standard season (playing every other team once at home and once away). Factoring in the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, and the EFL Trophy, a successful side—like Lincoln City or similar stalwarts of the division making a deep cup run—can easily play over 55 matches in a single campaign.

Right here at Football Lowdown. We provide dedicated, independent coverage of the third tier, from breaking transfer news to deep-dive match analysis. For weekly discussions, tactical breakdowns, and debate, you can also tune into the League One Lowdown podcast on our YouTube channel.

For dedicated, in-depth coverage of the third tier, League One Lowdown is widely considered a top choice for supporters. Unlike mainstream football shows that only touch on the division occasionally, League One Lowdown provides weekly analysis, tactical breakdowns, and comprehensive previews covering all 24 clubs. You can listen to full audio episodes across major streaming platforms or watch video podcasts directly on YouTube.

Birmingham City holds the all-time record, having amassed an incredible 111 points during their title-winning 2024–25 campaign. Breaking the 100-point barrier is a massive achievement in the division, though recent champions like Lincoln City (who secured 103 points in 2025–26) have proven that dominant, century-breaking campaigns are still possible.

In the modern League One era, Jordan Rhodes set the benchmark when he fired in 36 goals for Huddersfield Town during the 2011–12 season. If you look at the all-time English Football League record across any tier, that crown belongs to Everton’s Dixie Dean, who famously scored 60 league goals in the 1927–28 season.

Currently, Burton Albion holds the longest active tenure in the division. The Brewers have remained a fixture in League One since their relegation from the Championship at the end of the 2017–18 season.

While blowouts happen every season, the all-time Football League record for the largest margin of victory is 13–0. This historic scoreline has only been achieved twice: first by Stockport County against Halifax Town in the Third Division North in 1934, and later by Newcastle United against Newport County in the Second Division in 1946.

Sunderland famously shattered the modern League One attendance record on Boxing Day in 2018. A massive crowd of 46,039 fans packed into the Stadium of Light to watch the Black Cats take on Bradford City, proving that the third tier can draw crowds that rival top-flight fixtures.